In this stirring meditation on art and music, 14-year-old composer and native of Florence, South Carolina, Gabe Smallwood shares some of the inspirations behind his new work for orchestra and chorus, a Carnegie Hall commission that will be premiered on February 5, 2012.

Each year, Carnegie Hall presents a large-scale Creative Learning Project in which local students perform a major work in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage with a professional orchestra, professional soloists, and a well-known conductor. As part of the project, students also compose new music based on themes from the featured major work. These projects are designed to nurture and showcase exemplary student work, elevating student performance to a professional level and creating transformational experiences for all involved, including the audience at the final performance.

The 2011–2012 project will focus on a performance of Orff's Carmina Burana conducted by David Robertson with the Orchestra of St. Luke's on February 5, 2012. The first half of this concert will feature three pieces for orchestra and choir written by three high school composers from around the country—Anthony from Tucson, Arizona; Gabe from Florence, South Carolina; and Thomas from New York City. Each have composed a piece based on themes and compositional techniques that Orff explored in the Carmina Burana.